Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 11:18:45 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2 Chapters 3-4
Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 3 -- Time With Robert.
**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.
During our second week, it was just Robert who was still with us. I think
he was also walking on eggs around me and wondering how much I'd let him do
with the boys now, since that little fiasco surrounding their hike. I
wasn't about to end his suffering easily either, hoping it would make him
think carefully before he tried keeping anything from me again. However, I
ended up giving in, so the other boys wouldn't suffer too, since they all
seemed to adore him.
During the remainder of the day, the boys remained pretty subdued, which
surprised me. I did notice a lot of whispering between them all and
wondered what they were up to, but felt they were conspiring to come up
with something to make me feel better about them all spending time with
each other. Boy, was I wrong.
Later that evening, after it started to get dark, Cole and Graham asked me
to play cards with them. I felt this was because they were missing my
grandsons so much, so I humored them and we played rummy. After a while, I
realized I hadn't seen the others for quite some time and figured I might
have been had.
"Okay, where are your brothers and what are they up to?" I asked my
youngest. Immediately, a look of surprise and fear came over their faces.
"Come on, spill it," I urged them.
"They just went swimming," Graham admitted, "but we didn't want to, because
of the Lady in the Lake." At least that part of the puzzle was clear.
Without saying a word, I got up, walked out of the cottage and headed for
the lake. I could now hear the boys laughing and splashing about. As I
got nearer, I could see they were diving off the end of the dock, but there
was something I wasn't ready for. They were all stark naked -- even
Robert. I think that was my biggest shock of all, since Robert had always
been my most modest child. The thought of him getting naked in front of
others really threw me.
I crept up behind them, moving as noiselessly as I could. When I was as
close as I thought I could get without being noticed, I spoke to them.
"Well, isn't this a fine sight."
Robert immediately tried to cover himself, as the other boys began
laughing. "Dad, you must have known we couldn't wear clothes for the WHOLE
vacation," Ricky announced.
"That I realized, but this…" I said, while pointing at Robert, "I never
expected. I know you boys love to be naked, but your older brother has
always been a bit more shy about such things." Although I couldn't tell in
the dark, I think Robert was blushing.
"Well, they've been trying to convince me all day," he told me, "so I
finally went along with them. I must admit, it is more fun than I would
ever have guessed," he added, while dropping his hands from in front of him
and to his side.
"I have no problems with this, as long as everyone is doing it willingly,"
I informed him, to which each of them eagerly agreed.
"We know the rules, Pop," Jay chirped up, "and no one did anything he
didn't want to." I looked at Robert and he shook his head.
"Yeah, I actually agreed to join them," he admitted, shyly. "It's just
that we had to wait until it got dark, so no one else would see us.
Having received my explanation, I went back to the cabin, as the boys
continued to enjoying their skinny dip. I must admit I was tempted to join
them, but felt it might be too much for Robert to handle, so I passed up
the opportunity.
Sunday, I made a run into town, to pick up more supplies, but only Cole and
Graham indicated they wanted to join me. After getting Robert alone and
making him promise to keep an eye on the boys and not do anything foolish,
I pulled the other boys aside and made them promise to help keep Robert in
line. Trusting that one or the other would do as I asked, I took the two
younger ones and went shopping.
We picked up enough food for another week, including plenty of munchies for
the boys to snack on between meals, and I filled both gas cans again, since
they'd used up the gasoline I'd purchased previously. On the way back,
just before we reached the state land, I noticed something I'd missed
before. I quickly hit the brakes and pulled off the road.
"Why are we stopping here, Daddy?" Graham asked. "What's this place?"
"I think it may turn out to be just what the doctor ordered," I told him,
as I parked the car.
"What doctor, Daddy." Graham asked, confused.
"That was just a way of saying I think I found something that will come in
handy later in the week," I told him. "You boys stay in the car and I'll
be right back." They did as I told them and waited while I checked out
this discovery. Before long, I was back in the car and we were driving
toward the cottage again.
The two who were with me pestered me all the way back about what I'd done
there, but I only told them enough to keep them from pushing it further. I
also made them promise not to tell any of the others about this, as I
wanted to keep this as my ace in the hole.
When we got back, I asked the others to help unload the groceries and the
gas cans, and once that was done, I offered to drive the faster boat for
them, so they could do some more water-skiing. They immediately liked that
idea, so we spent the next few hours with most of the boys enjoying the
opportunity to get more proficient at this activity. I was immensely
surprised to see Jay doing as well, if not better than the others. Cole
tried it too, but soon gave up on it, saying it just wasn't his thing.
Graham, on the other hand, spent all of his time with me in the boat, so I
let him steer it from time to time, to make him feel important and help
keep him from growing bored.
Robert had spent much of his time giving the boys pointers about what to
do, both before they went out and after they got back from their run, so
they would continue to improve. I was very pleased to see the boys
listening to his every word and working with him on this, knowing this was
only strengthening the bonds that had been building between them.
We did this until dinnertime, but after dinner the boys played cards until
it got dark. As time passed, I also began to notice that some of the boys
were slipping off to shower together, so I figured this was to allow them a
little sexual release. I noticed they would watch Robert, to make sure he
didn't observe what they were up to, but I picked up on it, mostly because
of our vacation the previous year. The first pair I saw sneak off together
were Danny and Brandon, and I later discovered they had used their time for
a little oral relief. I could tell it must have done the trick, because
they both wore huge smiles when they rejoined us.
A little while later, Ricky and Jay disappeared, and I was told that they
used the little trick they had discovered the previous summer. After
soaping up generously, they would place their dick between the other one's
inner thighs and then hump him like a horny dog, until they creamed the
shower wall. Both boys found this very satisfying, but I think some of
that was psychological, as it made them feel as if they were actually
having intercourse.
By staying indoors and playing cards after dinner, I immediately began to
suspect the boys were planning another late night skinny dip. When they
later began to leave the cottage and head for the lake, I slipped down
behind them and took off my shorts, since I wasn't going to be left out
this time. I think Robert was the only one surprised to see me do this,
since I had never done anything of this nature when he was younger.
However, that was probably due mostly to the fact his mother and two
sisters were around most of the time too, and that would have made it a bit
awkward. Not only that, but my wife was not very open-minded where public
nudity was concerned.
After we tired ourselves out swimming, we went back to the cabin, dried off
and went to bed. I was surprised when Graham asked if he could sleep with
me again, since I'd figured he'd want to spend time with his brothers.
However, he was insistent, so I gave in. Later, I realized it was probably
due to the fact that he was sorely missing having little Nicky around, so I
became his human pacifier.
For the next two days, our routine stayed basically the same. Although
Robert and I took turns in the boat, we didn't limit ourselves to doing
just that one thing, but in reality we didn't have a lot of options to
contend with. By the time Wednesday night rolled around, the boys were all
becoming a little bored with our limited agenda and let me know so.
"Dad, we've got to find some other things to do too," they complained.
"What we've been doing is all right, but it's isn't as much fun now. Isn't
there something else we can do too?"
"Maybe," I said, "just let me think about it for a bit. If you're lucky, I
might be able to come up with something by tomorrow." I think Cole and
Graham were suspicious that I already had something in mind, involving our
extra stop on the way back from shopping, but they were very good about it
and didn't spill the beans.
Later that evening I slipped away for a bit, to set things up, but no one
knew what I was up to. It was working out perfectly.
The next morning, after the boys got up, I fixed them all a big breakfast,
before they began to pester me again. "Well, did you think of something
new to do?" Kevin asked me.
"We know you've got a lot of ideas, Pop," Brandon added, trying to butter
me up with a little flattery.
"I might have," I told them. "All of you get dressed and hop into the van,
and we'll go out to see what else we can find."
After their enthusiastic cheers of approval, the boys did as I asked, but
we didn't have all that far to go. When I pulled into the same place I'd
stopped at with Cole and Graham, the other boys all looked at me funny,
since they couldn't figure out what I was up to.
"You boys wait here and I'll be right back," I told them, without giving
anything away. All I was actually doing was checking to see if things were
ready for us.
"Okay, follow me," I informed them, after coming back to the van, and they
trailed behind me to the back of this old, beat up looking garage building.
As they rounded the corner, they all began to cheer. "Way to go, Pop," Jay
shouted, as he saw the line of four-wheelers, gassed up and ready to go.
"This place rents these to people to use on the trails in the state land,"
I explained, "so I rented them for us to use for the day. Cole, you'll
ride with Robert and Graham will ride with me, until we're sure you're
ready to solo." I doubted Graham would be, but felt Cole might eventually
be ready, although I wanted to make sure before we did that.
Over the next twenty minutes or so, the owner gave the boys instructions on
how to operate the vehicles, including warnings about what they should and
should not do on them. Once everything had been sufficiently explained,
each of them picked out a safety helmet to use and we were ready to go.
With Cole seated in front of Robert, Graham seated in front of me and the
rest of the boys on their own four-wheelers, we were ready to set off.
The owner had also provided Robert and I maps of the trails and warnings
about specific dangers out there. After talking it over, I put Robert in
the lead and I agreed to bring up the rear, to make sure there weren't any
problems. Robert and I had also been given 2-way radios to use, so we
could communicate with each other without having to stop to do so.
Cautiously, we started out, taking it easy and giving the boys a chance to
get used to their vehicles. I could see Robert was letting Cole operate
their bike, with his assistance, and I was doing the same with Graham.
They both seemed satisfied with that and we proceeded down the edge of the
roadway, until reaching the state land, and then we took the trail into
that area.
This was definitely a fun and exhilarating activity. In some spots the
trail was wide enough for two boys to ride side-by-side, but most of the
time it was narrower than that and we had to stay in single file.
Regardless of which way we traveled, everyone seemed to be having a great
time. It looked as if Robert had pretty much left Cole in control of their
bike, and he rode with his arm's wrapped around Cole's chest, but I kept
control of our vehicle, even though I did let Graham do most of the
steering and controlling the gas. I did have to rein him in a couple of
times, so he didn't ram into the back of the bike ahead of us, but for the
most part, he did those things fairly well.
We rode until after lunchtime, when I radioed Robert to head back to the
place we started from. He did as I requested and I suspected the boys were
a little disappointed, thinking this activity had come to an end. However,
after we arrived back at the garage, I informed them it was only so the
owner could have a chance gas them all up again and give us a chance to run
out and grab a bite to eat in between. Suddenly, they all began to perk
up.
Seeing the boys didn't want to waste much time eating (will wonders never
cease?), we stopped at a fast food place and chowed down quickly. When we
got back, everything was ready for us again, so we took off once more, but
this time Cole was also operating his own four-wheeler. After Robert had
assured me he was ready and capable of being left alone, I asked the owner
to provide us with one more four-wheeler for the afternoon. I think this
did affect Graham's ego slightly, but after I told him it was just that I
needed him to drive me around, he seemed to be more willing to accept this
arrangement.
We took different trails this time and rode until it began to get dark. As
soon as I could tell the light was beginning to dim, I signaled Robert that
it was time to call it a day and we headed back in. No one complained this
time… in fact, everyone was quite pleased by the entire day out.
Somehow I managed to get lucky and find this bit of salvation on a trip to
the grocery store. How fortunate.
Before we left, I asked the boys what they wanted to do the next day,
Friday, since it would be our last full day here. We would be heading back
home Saturday, after saying good-bye to Robert, so I left the choice of
activities entirely up to them. They all said they'd like to spend the day
at the lake and today had been enough to tide them over and break the
monotony. Even though they'd had a great time, they just couldn't see
riding the four-wheelers two days in a row. I appreciated their candor, so
I'd try to think of another variation to amuse them tomorrow.
That night Graham and the boys decided to sleep together on the floor of
the living area, along with Robert. It was his last night with us and
everyone wanted to be as close to him as they could that evening. That was
fine with me, as I got a good night's sleep alone, in a big bed.
The next morning, I suggested we could take the big boat out and enjoy a
nice cruise of the lake, during which time I'd let each of them have a turn
at piloting the craft. I hadn't let anyone but Robert, Michael, Adrian or
me drive the smaller boat, mainly because of its power and very sensitive
steering. It could turn on a dime, so to speak, and I didn't want the boys
to have an accident because of that combination of factors. However, the
larger boat's steering was a lot more forgiving, plus the pick-up was not
as explosive, so I figured they'd have less chance to foul up seriously.
They all thought they'd like to take a turn at steering the big boat, so
like Gilligan, we set off on a three-hour tour.
I felt the fairest way to take turns at the helm was to go by age, starting
with the oldest, so Dustin went first. We ended up traveling around the
lake several times, so each boy got a decent chance at steering the boat
for more than just a few minutes. One of the best times came when it was
Graham's turn and all of the other boys egged him on.
"Come on, Graham, give us a special ride," Danny suggested. "Make it
different from the others."
"Yeah, give it full throttle," Ricky urged him, which didn't surprise me in
the least.
"See if you can scare up a sea monster or something," Jay teased him,
followed by his hearty laugh.
"I'm not sure Champ or Nessie live in this lake, but maybe something else
does," Kevin added, playing along with the gag.
Graham enjoyed this attention, as well as his turn at the wheel, so we
ended up giving him even more time than the others had piloting the vessel,
to make up for some of the other activities he'd been curtailed on. I
think he felt pretty special by the time we came back in.
After lunch, the boys wanted to go swimming, and I was more than a little
surprised when I looked out the door, after I finished cleaning up from our
meal. They were skinny dipping again and it was still light out. Sure,
there weren't any cottages real close to the one we were using and we
hadn't seen many people out when we were cruising around the lake, but this
might stir up a hornet's nest, if anyone with other children were around.
However, against my better judgment I let them continue, but I stayed in
the cottage and wasn't about to join them this time around.
Our last evening with Robert was actually kind of sad. The boys had a
great time with him and appreciated how he liked being with them too, so
they tried to get him to promise to come home for Thanksgiving and New
Year's, but Robert offered them a compromise.
"I'll come home at Thanksgiving, with everyone else, but it's really very
difficult for me to come home for the winter holidays. I'll save my second
visit until your spring break from school. I'll take some time off from
work then, so we can spend the whole week together. I'll also see if I can
take more time off next summer, so we can enjoy another vacation together."
The boys all seemed to like that idea, so it was agreed. Once again, I
think it was mostly so Robert could spend much of his time alone with the
boys and not have to share their attention, even though he used his work
schedule as an excuse to do so. I know the holidays are a very busy time
for people working in retail, but I also knew New Year's wasn't as big a
deal as Christmas. However, I kept my mouth shut and left it as they had
planned.
Saturday was a bittersweet parting. The boys had enjoyed themselves and
had a great time with Robert, but now he was leaving and we were heading
home. That also meant school was just around the corner. If it weren't
for the fact they were looking forward to playing soccer again, I think
they might have become even more morose. Thankfully, however, I think they
were also eager to see what the future might hold for them.
Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 4 -- Much Ado About Us.
When we got back from our vacation, we immediately had a great many other
things that needed our attention. The very next day, Sunday, was Kevin's
birthday and I'd almost forgotten we were having everyone over for his
party. We'd invited them before we left and I think Kevin was suddenly
excited about it, now that he remembered what the date was. Robert had
wanted to stay long enough to attend, but had to be to work on Monday, so
he didn't dare. However, the extended family and a few of Kevin's friends
would be there, so Kevin got over his disappointment about Robert not being
able to make it.
Kevin's party went well and everyone enjoyed himself. Not only that, but
we also got to share our vacation stories with those nearest and dearest to
us. Kevin also received some very nice gifts in the process, but I still
felt badly that his party seemed a bit unorganized and a little rushed,
because we didn't have much time to get our act together before everyone
started arriving. If I'd been smart, I'd have planned his party for the
following weekend, regardless of the date.
Kevin had no problems with it though, and I think the little surprise we
learned about when we got back more than made up for out lack of
organization. Sally was the first to let on something had happened during
the past week, but she wasn't aware we knew nothing about it. "Josh,
that's right, I forgot. You've been away," she announced, after seeing the
confused looks on our faces.
"Last Sunday the newspaper ran a big article about how you adopted all of
the boys, and they even included Judge Shay's comments from the adoption
proceeding. It was absolutely marvelous. I think they tried to get a hold
of you before it went to press, so they could take pictures to go along
with the article, but because you were away, they had to improvise. They
cropped in a photo they had taken of you at one of your school functions
and then used some pictures of the boys, which they had in their sports
archives. I bought a couple of extra copies and have them in my car, if
you'd like them."
"I'd love one, Sally. I'll scan the articles in my computer and then send
a copy of the clippings to my older children." Suddenly, everyone began
talking about that article and all of the attention it had garnered in the
community.
When the party ended, we said good-bye to all our guests and then went into
the house to collapse. That was very hectic, especially after being away
for two weeks. While relaxing, I took the opportunity to read the very
nice article about us. Now, all we had to do was get ready for school to
start a week from Monday.
Before that day arrived, though, I had to get all of the boys to their
soccer physicals and practices, since most of them had decided to go out
for the schools teams again. I was mildly surprised to learn that Cole and
Graham were going to sit the season out and just watch their brothers play,
as neither felt that sports were their thing. There was an exception to
that decision, however, when Cole explained he still wanted to try his hand
at wrestling again this fall.
I did have one concern about the start of the fall sports season, though,
and it was the fact that Ricky and Jay were freshmen and would be competing
against their sophomore brothers (Danny, Brandon and Kevin) for positions
this year. Dustin would most likely not be included in that experience,
since he was a junior and would most likely be playing on the varsity team.
My main worry was that by having to compete with the others for playing
time, and since the older boys had done so well on the JV team the year
before, it might deflate some of the confidence the younger pair had
developed while playing on the modified team. No matter how much this
troubled me, I would just have to sit back and see how it played out.
The tryouts lasted several days, before the teams were selected. When this
happened, the boys came home all excited. "Dad, Dustin, Danny, Brandon and
me all got picked to play on the varsity team this fall," Kevin gushed,
breathlessly.
"And me and Jay are going to play on the JV team," Ricky added, equally as
proud.
"Wow, that's really awesome," I admitted, still reeling from the shock, yet
somewhat relieved by this revelation. "All of you were taken up to the
varsity team, even though you're only sophomores?" I asked, to clarify my
understanding of the situation.
"Yeah, the coach said we all played really well together and he didn't want
to break that up," Danny informed me, while beaming.
"I'm really impressed," I replied. "That's quite an accomplishment, at
least for our school district. The coaches don't usually call up many
sophomores to the varsity level. And Jay and you are going to be playing
on the JV team," I followed, after turning toward Ricky and Jay, as I
wanted to acknowledge their accomplishments too. "That is really wonderful
news."
"I didn't think I'd be good enough to play this year," Jay confessed, "but
the coach says I've got potential and put me on the team."
"I've always known you've had potential Jay, and told you so many times," I
assured him, "but I'm glad to see others are taking note of it too." He
smiled, as a blush tinged his face from my comment.
When the academic year started, all of the boys quickly fell into their
various routines. This year is going to be quite different for me, in that
everyone except Cole and Graham would be attending the high school. It is
also going to be very strange for me not to see Ricky around all day long;
especially after all of the hours we've been together, including the time
he'd spent in my office before he came to live with me. I knew I was going
to miss having that little imp around, more than anyone could ever imagine.
It was during the first week of school that something else happened. I
received a call at work. "Mr. Currie, I'm Max Snelzig," the voice told me,
"and I work for USA Today. My paper happened to pick up on an article that
was run about you and your boys a few weeks ago, and we'd like to run our
own feature article about your unique family. Do you think it would be
possible for us to meet and discuss this within the next couple of days?"
"Mr. Snelzig, I'm flattered, but there must be more important stories than
ours for you to write about," I responded.
"You are the perfect human interest story, positive and uplifting," he
replied. "I think it's important for others to see there are more than
just fetuses that need our attention and concern. There are plenty of
children out there who could use loving and caring homes, and we want to
write about what you've done, to give others the idea about what they could
also do."
"I think I should talk this over with the boys first, and call my older
children, before I can commit myself to something of this nature. Would
you allow me until tomorrow, before I give you an answer?"
"Certainly, I'll call you back tomorrow afternoon," he assured me, "and if
you agree, I'll be out there on Wednesday, so we can run this in the
weekend edition."
I was stunned, to say the least. Another article about us? I still didn't
see how we were really newsworthy. However, I'd talk to the boys and see
what they thought of this idea.
That evening, after dinner, I had everyone remain at the table, so I could
explain what I had been told earlier. After I gave them the basics, I also
provided them an opportunity to speak out. "I won't do this without your
approval," I told them, "seeing it's your lives that will be exposed for
everyone to see. So who wants to tell me what they think first?" All the
boys looked at me and then at each other. It was my impetuous blond imp
who spoke first.
"Dad, if this can help find homes for other kids, then I say we've got to
do it," he announced, quite confidently. "I don't mind people knowing what
happened to me, if some other kids can end up with a decent place to live,
like we did."
"Wait a minute," Dustin announced. "Does this mean they'd tell about why
Kev's dad kicked me out? I mean… I don't want the girls thinking I'm
gay and ruining my chances with them."
"Would they find out about why I got kicked out too?" Danny wondered. He
looked nearly as concerned as Dustin. "Man, that might not go over so well
at school. I mean, everyone's okay thinking I MIGHT be gay, but that would
pretty much convince them I was and I don't know how they'd react then."
"Those things could happen," I warned, as I didn't want to mislead them and
then have it all come out later. "If he's a good reporter, he might even
look up your dad and Kevin's, so he can interview them about what you were
like before you came to live here." Both Dustin and Danny looked very
concerned now.
"I'd be happy to let the asshole who beat on me get interviewed and see
this story in a national paper, where the whole world could see it too,"
Kevin added, with a touch of sarcasm. "If he thinks he was embarrassed
because one of his friends might find out about me, then what's he gonna do
when it's in the paper for everyone to read over and over again?"
I don't think Kevin was going along with this idea only to get some payback
on his father, but he sure wasn't going to ignore that possibility either.
I even thought he might bring it up himself, before the reporter had a
chance to ask.
After we discussed this for many more minutes, I think Graham said it best.
"Daddy, if other kids are going hungry or don't have a good home and this
might help them find someone to love and take care of them like you did for
us, then maybe we should let them put it in ALL of the papers."
The boys looked at each other, sizing up the various reactions to Graham's
statement. They were all going over this in their minds, when Danny broke
the silence.
"You know, he's right, Dad," Danny began. "Even if we might be a little
uncomfortable about the paper telling what happened to us, we should be
doing it for the other kids who don't have it so good. If doing this might
get more people like you to take in more kids like us, then I say we should
do it too."
There was a lot of murmuring between the boys, as they discussed this
further, because Dustin still wasn't sure about it. "I can understand what
everyone's saying and why," Dustin began, "but I have to think about how
this is going to affect me. I'd like to help those other kids too, but not
if it means I'm going to be labeled gay and not have any chance with the
girls at our school."
"Can't you just give them the hint you're bi?" Ricky asked him. "You can
say you've experimented a bit, but that you really prefer girls. That
should do it for you."
"Yeah, and the girls might also think that would make you more sensitive,"
Danny added, "and from what I've seen, girls like sensitive guys."
I guess that was enough to sway his vote, because in the end, the boys were
unanimously behind the idea. Although they still weren't totally fond
about drawing attention to themselves or having how they came to live with
me be exposed, they hoped this would serve a higher purpose. By allowing
this article to be published, it might be a way to help others, who were
currently in situations similar to what they had experienced, to get their
own fresh start. I thought it was quite generous of them to be willing to
share the dark secrets of their pasts in order to help other young people
they'd never met.
This caused me to think about the old saying that good deeds are rewarded
tenfold. If what I had done was a good deed, then the boys were the ones
who were going to magnify it tenfold, or possibly even more. Of course,
then there was the other saying -- no good deed goes unpunished, which made
me wonder in which direction this would actually go.
When Max Snelzig called me back, I confirmed the boys were willing to go
along with his request, but I did ask him one favor. "The boys are willing
to do this to help others who might benefit if other adults are willing to
share their homes and love with them, but I ask you to please respect as
much of their privacy as possible. Although each of them understands this
could get out of hand and become fodder for those who might wish to bash us
on various levels, I hope you will only expose as much of their past as is
absolutely necessary to accomplish your goal of writing a human interest
story. I am only doing this because you don't represent one of those
tawdry tabloids and trust you can maintain an interest level without
digging for the dirt under any of our rugs."
After assuring me that would be the case, we set up a time for him to come
out and meet the entire group. He arrived at the house early one evening
and began to interview us each separately, although I sat with each of the
boys as he was speaking with them, just to protect them as much as I could.
He also brought along a photographer, who snapped numerous pictures of us,
mostly candid shots, when we least expected them. I do believe he took a
picture of each of the boys while they were interacting with me, as well as
taking several other shots showing the boys with each other.
Before he left, he asked my permission to contact my older children, so he
could get their reactions as to what they thought of this arrangement. I
agreed and gave him each of their phone numbers, before adding that I
expected him to treat them with the same civility as he had with each of
us.
Needless to say, when the article was published, we bought multiple copies
of that edition, so everyone would have their own copy to preserve for the
future. We were a little apprehensive when we first sat down to read it,
so I read it aloud, and we were all pleased with Max's tasteful
presentation of our situation. I think we all breathed a deep sigh, once
we realized he had kept his word.
Now that the genie had been let out of the bottle, there was no easy way to
cork him back in. We immediately began receiving numerous letters, cables
and emails, which were forwarded to us via USA Today, and I took the time
to read each of them to the boys as we sat around the dining room table.
After each item was read, we would decide, as a group, as to how we wished
to respond to it. In general, the boys suggested that we should be polite
and appreciative to each sender, but also agreed we should make it a point
not to encourage them to think of us unique or special.
After discussing this on several different occasions, the boys agreed that,
more than likely, there were other mixed families in other communities who
had accomplished as much as we had. Even though we had no way of knowing
for certain, we suspected there were unsung heroes out there doing just as
much for the children who lived with them, so we didn't want anyone to
think any less about what they were doing. We certainly didn't want to
portray ourselves as the 'only example' or the 'model eclectic family' and
would be more than happy to be acknowledged as just one small raft in a sea
of thriving non- traditional families. However, it appeared that choice
was not to be ours. For some unknown reason, we soon became this season's
media darlings and Time and Newsweek also picked up our story and ran
articles about our family. That brought us a new round of even more
correspondence, but this time it came from all around the world. No matter
how much the media tried to single us out, we continued to insist there
were other families and persons who were doing just as much and equally as
deserving of such attention and praise.
While all of this hubbub had been going on, the boys had also started their
fall sports season. Although Cole and Graham didn't participate, they did
go and support the others, and their brothers made sure to take time to
come over to greet them at least once during the competition. That small
gesture made Cole and Graham feel special and they enjoyed the fact that
their brothers would always go out of their way to speak to them or
encourage their closest teammates to go over and say 'hello' to the pair as
well. That's how Cole and Graham became the unofficial mascots for these
teams and were often the focal point of some impromptu cheerleading.
Both teams were doing fairly well and all of the boys were becoming
invaluable assets to their respective squads. I was pleased with how
everyone was doing, but there was one whom I was most proud of. He had
definitely made the greatest improvement and I was thrilled to have been
there to witness him scoring his first goal. He even came over to me to
talk about it afterward.
"Pop, did you see that?" an excited Jay asked me. "I actually scored."
"I did and it was quite impressive," I assured him. "It was a tough angle
and I loved the way you drilled it into the upper corner of the net. Any
lower and the keeper might have had a chance to make a save." Jay was
simply beaming.
"You were right," he told me, looking me squarely in the eye.
"About what?" I asked, perplexed. I wasn't sure what he was referring to.
"When you told me I'd grow into my body and not be so awkward," he
explained. "Everyone's been telling me how much better I'm getting at
nearly everything, and I hardly ever have those embarrassing accidents any
more."
"I'm glad to hear that," I told him, while placing my arm about his
shoulders. "I had faith that your coordination would eventually catch up
and you certainly did look impressive out there. Not only did you score,
but that was also a pretty nifty assist you had before that, on your
crossing pass to your midfielder." This time Jay actually did blush.
"It was actually meant for the wing, but I kind of pulled the kick," he
admitted.
"Well, no one would know that, if you don't tell them," I hinted. "Even
the great players are hesitant to admit when luck is involved in one of
their fantastic plays." He looked up at me and grinned.
"Thanks, Pop. You always know how to make me feel better."
He walked with me the rest of the way to his parent's car and gave me a
special hug before he got in with them. Once they pulled out, I hurriedly
gathered up my own brood, so I could take them home and feed them -- before
they got ugly.
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